Cloning software

[Jonathan Huyer]

I'm looking for advice on software for drive mirroring. I finally decided to set up a mirroring system for my external hard drive (where I keep all my raw files), so that I always have a synced copy of my images. My drive is backed up to the cloud (with CrashPlan), but also having a mirrored backup would make a lot of sense. I heard that Carbon Copy Cloner is excellent, but is only available for Macs. For PCs, lots of options are available and "SyncBack" was recommended by a friend. Apparently there is also a way to set up mirroring directly through the Windows operating system, although I'm reluctant to go that route. So for those of you who are using mirroring software, please share your experience! Thanks.

[DavidEccleston]

Also on Mac, and completely free. In a terminal (ie: Command Prompt)
rsync -av /Volumes/GSPMain/Pics /Volumes/GSPBackup/Pics

I've heard modern Windows includes a Linux shell. Perhaps you have rsync available.

[Kayaker72]

Not exactly the same, but I use the software that comes with my WD external hard drive. I have it set to backup my photography folders weekly, which is not instantaneous mirroring, but is good enough for me.

That said, the software is a bit clunky, which does not inspire, so I'd readily try another option.

[Jonathan Huyer]

As a follow up on this, I downloaded SyncBack and gave it a try. They have three versions, with the simplest being free and the two more advanced ones as paid. I tried both the free version and the cheaper paid version (they offer a trial), and found that the free version is all I need. I'm just looking to create a mirror of my primary external drive onto a second external drive. Mirroring means that when I delete a file on the first drive, it will also delete on the second drive. However if I accidentally delete file on the second drive, it will not be deleted on the primary drive. You can also setup a full backup, and a 'synchronize' arrangement where any change on either drive will be changed on the other. There are ample checks along the way to make sure you don't screw up.
https://www.2brightsparks.com/downlo...cbackfree.html